NORFOLK, Va. (AP) -Blue-and-white clad Old Dominion fans chanted “ODU! ODU!” as their first football team in 69 years made its inaugural march through the alumni tailgating area.
Saturday’s game was ODU’s first since 1940.
Some of the fired-up Monarchs faithful were so caught up in the moment that before ODU kicked off against Division II Chowan they were already challenging college football’s heavyweights.
“Today makes it evident that’s totally possible, and the sky’s the limit,” said James Toscano, 29. “We have 1.7 million people in a region with no big-time football program. And this Hampton Roads area is a hotbed of football talent.”
While ODU will likely remain in the Football Championship Subdivision for the foreseeable future, Toscano is right about the football-crazed region that produced such NFL standouts as Bruce Smith and Michael Vick.
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Peering over the third-floor railing of the parking garage next to renovated 74-year-old Foreman Field, Charlie Hackworth marveled at the scene – parking lots crammed with tailgaters, students tossing footballs and the Monarchs’ lion-costumed mascot, Big Blue, distributing hugs and posing for pictures with youngsters.
“Two hours from kickoff and the place is packed,” said Hackworth, 68. “You can’t ask for anything better than this.”
Excitement about the first Old Dominion football game since 1940 has been building since the school announced its plans in May 2006, and has reached a frenzied pitch in recent weeks.
Football-starved Monarchs fans immediately snapped up all the available 14,377 season tickets, and single-came tickets also sold out in short order. Hundreds of students camped out overnight – a scene not unlike Duke’s famed “Krzyzewskiville” at the start of basketball season – to make sure they got their tickets.
Ms and jelly beans, blueberry wheat beer and filet mignon with a bleu cheese sauce. “I told them, ‘You should have gotten on board from the start.”’
the return of Old Dominion football that she couldn’t help but think bigger things are possible. She said she didn’t think the enthusiasm would wane, even if the Monarchs struggle like most fledging programs do.
“You know why? Because Hampton Roads will never have a major professional sports team. We’re rallying around good collegiate sports teams. We’re ready,” she said.
Johnny Brown was so ready for the return of Monarchs football that coach Bobby Wilder said earlier in the week the 90-year-old former tailback and safety probably would like to suit up and play. Brown said his teammates from the 1939 squad “traded leather helmets for steel helmets” to fight in World War II, and a lack of players doomed the football program.
But as they pursued their later careers – Brown was a high school football coach and principal – they longed for a football revival at their old school.
“We were concerned for years, ‘Why don’t they have football?’ Football goes with college, and college goes with football,” said Brown. “I’m very happy they started it back up.”
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